Rouen Travel Guide: What to do in Rouen, France

When Nick’s mum was here from Australia, as well as spending a night in Cardiff, and a couple of nights in Ghent, we also spent some time in Rouen.

Rouen is a city that neither Nick nor I had been to before, so we didn’t know too much about it, apart from hearing how gorgeous a city it is.

I feel like gorgeous is the perfect way to describe Rouen, because it’s exactly that. It’s a city full of churches and wooden houses.

We had one full day and another half day in Rouen, so on our first day, which was a Friday, we followed a plan that I had devised, so we could see the main attractions of Rouen.

As our first full day in Rouen was a Friday, it turned out that many of the churches were closed, and we didn’t have time to revisit them on Saturday.

This wasn’t a massive deal, as the churches were large so walking around the outside of them and looking at the intricate details they were constructed with took us a good amount of time.

Our first stop on our first full day was La Tour Jeanne d’Arc, which was a 5-minute walk from our hotel. It was this location where the trial of Joan of Arc took place. As her death happened in Rouen, there are a lot of fantastic monuments and museums where you can go to learn more about her life.

One of these attractions is Historical Jeanne D’Arc, which we visited, but due to Ryan’s highly mobile nature, I didn’t get to listen to the audio that was part of the entrance fee. If you’re keen to learn more about Joan of Arc, then this is the place to visit.

One thing you’ll notice about Rouen are the gorgeous churches, some of which included the Church of Saint-Maclou, and the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

The Cathedral of Notre Dame has a light show every night around 11pm starting late June, which we were very fortunate to see. We waited a long time to see it, as we weren’t sure what time it would start exactly, but it was amazing.

There were two stories that were projected onto the church with a voiceover. The whole church transformed into a number of different scenes, and it was definitely one of the best things I’ve ever seen.

After these Rouen attractions we spent the rest of our day walking around Old Market Square, which was a stunning afternoon activity. It was here that we spotted the many timber-framed houses, sloping roofs, and unique retailers that make Rouen so special.

Another great area of Rouen is Gros Horage. The main reason I went to this area was to see the large clock, as Ryan is currently clock obsessed.

What I didn’t know was that Gros Horage was full of shops and restaurants and activity. It was definitely a shopper’s paradise.

Rouen is a gorgeous city, which is easy to navigate on foot, has a lot of shopping and food options, and has a fantastic vibe at night, where it actually feels like New Year’s Eve due to people dancing on the street and having fun.

It’s definitely a city I’d revisit and would recommend anyone travelling solo, with or without young children, or of any age to check out.

Do you have any Rouen attraction recommendations?